Science reveals that elephants call each other by names and think abstractly

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“The research shows that elephants not only use an individual-specific call, but also recognize and respond to the call directed at them while ignoring the call directed at others,” explains the lead author of the research. Michael Pardo.

The study “supports the idea that elephants can invent random names for others,” continues this specialist in elephant communication from Colorado State University, quoted in a statement.

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To reach this conclusion, scientists used recordings made by the association Save the elephants In the Samburu Reserve and Amboseli National Park in Kenya.

Using an algorithm, they identified 469 different calls, including 101 elephants that made a call and 117 elephants that received a call. Elephants make a wide range of sounds, starting with loud trumpeting Even the hum that the human ear cannot hear.

According to the study, gliders, like humans, assign a random name to the herd member they wish to communicate with. Research confirms that they do not do this through vocalizations that imitate the sound made by the animal they are directed to, as dolphins and parrots do.

Professor George Whitmire from the University of Colorado, who is supervising the study, said in the statement that these observations about elephants “indicate that they have the ability to think abstractly.”

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The calls, which are usually emitted in the form of grunts, are more frequent at a distance and when adults are talking to young ones. Adults are also more likely to use these sounds than young people, which suggests this The ability to pronounce names requires years of training.

The study suggests that the highly social behavior of elephants may have contributed to the development of this communication ability.